Time for Millennials to Grow Up

Editor’s Note: Be forewarned, this is a rant from a baby boomer to millennials on their lack of context in the great big world out there. In a nutshell, grow up.

From SF Gate

I read a lot online. A lot. I really enjoy such venues as Medium because there is such a broad brush of information and opinion from a wide range of people from all walks of life. No, not just a bunch of geeks, talking about their latest, greatest iPhone app that will save humanity from reality, but all sorts of… well, just about anything.

I was paging through the current article list today and came across An Open Letter To My CEO. Oh, perhaps a Bernie Sander‘s supporter bitching about the top 1%, something I wholeheartedly agree with (#FeelTheBern). Noting a 10 minute read (another feature I love about Medium), I started to scroll through the article. The more I read, the more I was wondering what the hell. College graduate, has a job, has full and free medical benefits, lives in the Bay Are. Those facts were more oh, by the way rather than I am lucky. Of course, it was not the job she wanted and she had to work a whole year before getting the opportunity for she felt she deserved. Stop. Stop right there. Deserved? Most qualified for? Bottom line: make more money. She feels it is a waste to do customer service rather than writing witty memes and tweets which she is really great at! Oh and the expectation that $100K is a good starting salary. And the problems she has: dealing with paying her rent, commuting, and (OMG!) $20 copay for doctor’s appointments!

Rant, rant, rant that the company does not understand her hardships and her just wonderful qualifications for something more than listening to customers’ requests and complaints. The banality of it all! Perhaps she needs a reality check that those customers are paying her salary and he benefits. The company is there to provide a service to their customers and to provide equitable and fair compensation to their employees. Hell, most people have to copay for their insurance, not just their appointments!

I felt sorry for her situation, but the only way to resolve it is to stop bitching and do something about it. I found it horrible that she nixed becoming a teacher.

I left college, having majored in English literature, with a dream to work in media. It was either that or go to law school. Or become a teacher. But I didn’t want to become a cliche or drown in student loans, see.

Interesting. Become a cliche by entering into one of the most needed and time-honored professions. Some teaching programs will exchange time worked to absolve student loans. Oh my, might have to give back to future generations rather than write witty content. Sure, she could get to that nirvana of 21st Century electronic literature, but some how getting paid tons of money for that still lacks in true worth in my mind.

In my opinion, something is definitely wrong with this millennial mindset. Sorry, no one owes you a damn thing for free or at someone else’s cost. Yes, I believe in social equity. To me this means that everyone contributes to the common good of everyone. This is not Animal Farm. There is no silver platter unless you work for it. Helping hands must be given, but also must be paid back by helping others.

I think what galled me the most about this young person’s article was the last paragraph. It was loaded with links to where people could contribute monetarily to resolve her plight. What? You have got to be kidding me! Sorry, that is only contributing to the problem, not resolving it. Instead of looking for help that can cure, she is looking for someone else to pay her bills. This reminds me of a story I read years ago about an underemployed person who ate at soup kitchens so he could keep current on the payments for his BMW.

I read through the commentary given by others and, while some of them were blunt, they spoke the truth. Yes, there were those who said that the comments were hurtful, but the truth hurts. She does not need donations of money, but gifts of wisdom to get her into reality. Yes, and she added a later note that she had been fired from her job, probably because the CEO read her article. One person commented that instead of writing memes, she had become the meme. Sad, but true. It is not easy to be an adult. It is a shame that parents of some millennials did so little to pass on the message that has been carried from generation to generation: there is no free lunch.

Simple advice from a baby boomer? No one owes you anything except the ability to make something of yourself. The rest is up to you. Stop whining and get started!